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Jung Ki Hong earns PhD

Mr., excuse me, Dr. Hong, has been working with Maren Roman for the past eight years. He joined the department in august 2006, after being awarded a Fellowship from Dynea through the Wood-Based Composites Center, and earned his M.S. in Forest products in 2009. In his master’s research, he investigated the potential use of cellulose nanocrystals as an additive in thermosetting wood adhesives. His results demonstrated that cellulose nano-crystals increase the curing speed of phenol-formaldehyde adhesive resins, which could enable significant energy savings in the curing of thermosetting wood composites. Having developed an interest for polymer composites, he then decided to switch majors and pursue a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering. For his good performance as a graduate student, he was selected for a prestigious four-year Doctoral Scholarship of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science.

In his Ph.D. research, Jung Ki evaluated surface- oxidized cellulose nanocrystals as multifunctional reinforcement in poly(ε-caprolactone) based scaffolds for bone regeneration. His project spanned multiple disciplines and required knowledge and expertise in calcium-phosphate mineral formation chemistry, bone biology, and materials science, specifically nanoparticle and polymer nanocomposite characterization. He demonstrated that surfaceoxidized cellulose nanocrystals significantly increase the stiffness of poly(ε-caprolactone) while promoting the formation of a calcium–phos-phate mineral on their surface. He furthermore showed that the nanocomposite can be processed into customized porous scaffolds by 3d printing and that it supports bone cell growth and differentiation.

For his Ph.D. research achievements, Jung Ki was selected as one of six finalists to compete for the PMSE Division’s Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science at last year’s ACS Fall meeting in San Francisco, CA. Jung Ki successfully defended his dissertation on February 6. during his years at Virginia tech, Jung Ki has developed a high degree of professionalism and become an excellent oral presenter, earning first place for his oral presentations at our annual Eastman Chemical Company-sponsored graduate symposium twice. Jung Ki will be sorely missed by the cellulose community in Kelly Hall.

Upcoming Events

Forest Products Marketing Workshop

The workshop will be held during September 3-4, 2015 at the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) headquarters in Memphis, TN.
More details can be found at this link: http://www.cfpb. vt.edu/?p=716

Introduction to Structural design of Wood Buildings

Announcing a short course presented by the American Wood Council and Virginia Tech on Introduction to Structural Design of Wood Buildings per the 2015 NDS, September 30-October 2, 2015, Blacksburg Virginia.